Reference News Network August 8 report: Brazil's 247 News website published an article titled "China 2025: The Power of Planning" on August 5. The author is Professor Maria Luiza Falcon Silva from the University of Brasília. The article excerpts are as follows:

The Chinese 14th Five-Year Plan is about to be completed, and the world is witnessing the implementation of a development strategy that integrates national planning, scientific and technological innovation, and the narrowing of regional development gaps. In stark contrast to the ad-hoc politics and recurring crises of Western politics, China clearly demonstrates that stability and predictability are indeed competitive advantages in the 21st century.

2025 marks the completion of the "14th Five-Year Plan," which began in 2021. During these five years, China has undeniably shown that sustained investment in strategic planning continues to yield results—there have been significant progress in areas such as technological development and green infrastructure construction.

While most Western countries struggle with crises and are troubled by tariffs and authoritarian populism, China is advancing a long-term national plan, achieving growth through promoting innovation, enhancing social cohesion, and implementing environmentally focused measures. Some analysts believe that the Chinese model is shaping the 21st century.

Differing from neoliberal economies where economic policies are influenced by election sentiments, China has formulated medium- to long-term development plans oriented toward investment, innovation, and structural transformation. The "14th Five-Year Plan" is no exception: it sets goals for high-quality development, prioritizes energy transition, promotes economic digitization, and strengthens food and energy security.

The achievements in the green industry sector speak for themselves. China's investment in electric mobility, combined with the advancement of smart cities and clean energy matrices, has made it a vibrant global ecological transformation laboratory. At the same time, China has ensured a GDP growth rate of around 5%—an achievement that is remarkable in a period when the global economy faces the risk of stagnation.

The "14th Five-Year Plan" also takes strengthening technological self-reliance as a strategic pillar to cope with various restrictions imposed by the United States. The trade war initiated by U.S. President Trump against China has far from achieved the purpose of hindering China's progress, but instead accelerated China's import substitution in key areas such as semiconductors, robotics, and big data. China did not succumb to this isolationist policy but expanded its connections with the BRICS countries and Global South nations, and redefined international trade around the "Belt and Road" initiative.

Despite challenges such as an aging population and tense geopolitical relations with the United States, China welcomed a more diversified, resilient, and balanced economy in 2025. It is not only the engine of the world's industry, but also a model that distinguishes sustainable development from long-term dependence through planning.

As experts like Kishore Mahbubani have predicted, if the next decade is to be Asia's decade, it is because China continues to invest in long-term national plans. Meanwhile, the West seems to have given up the ability to dream and plan amid wars and financial bubbles. (Translated by Wang Meng)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536080327094059555/

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